Criminal Law
A Virginia Tech Linebacker Is Indicted for the Fatal Beating of a Tinder Date
A suspended Virginia Tech linebacker accused in the fatal beating of a Tinder match has been indicted on a charge of second-degree murder.
Isimemen Etute, 18, who is accused in the death of 40-year-old Jerry Smith in May, was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday, The Roanoke Times reported. A hearing is scheduled Nov. 18.
Etute said he visited Smith’s apartment in April after he was matched with someone named “Angie” on Tinder, and returned on May 31 to determine whether his match was male or female, attorneys and witnesses said at earlier hearings. A detective testified that Etute groped Smith and used his phone’s flashlight to get a better look in the dark apartment before repeatedly punching the victim.
